Holly could see Cat's point: Miss Morgan could be really fierce at times – shrunken by old age, wearing a black leotard with her sparse white hair under a black band, she hopped around like a hyperactive magpie. And when she banged her stick on the floor, everyone jumped to attention. But today Miss Morgan was in an unusually good mood. She complimented Holly, Gemma and Lettie on their demi-pointe exercises at the barre. 'Bellissima!' she shouted, clapping her hands. 'Now we are ready to commence pointe work!' Holly was so excited she could hardly breathe. She remembered her first lesson at Miss Toft's dance school when she was four years old, watching the older girls dancing en pointe – and dreaming that one day it would be her turn. Now that day was finally here! She slid her feet into the new pale-pink pointe shoes and criss-crossed the smooth satin ribbons round her ankles. How she loved those shoes! The girls waddled awkwardly over to the barre, their shoes all thwacking on the wooden floor.
